Psalm 19 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 19) Part 2

I went outside this morning to uncover my tomato plants in light of a potential freeze from last night and was again reminded of how absolutely crucial the Sun is for life on earth. It was quite delightful to stand in its rays as I went out this morning, a slight chill in the air cut by the warmth of the Sun. My tomatoes made it and I was equally encouraged at the brilliance of the Sun this morning, knowing that they would get what they needed to warm from last nights chill. The Sun’s rays emit energy, light and warmth that all life on earth needs to grow and persist. And yet, as this Psalm tells us, the testimony of the Sun is not its own greatness but rather the greatness of the One who made it. Consider the stars…

The glory of God is our greatest good. Again, more precisely, the glory of God shining forth through us is our greatest good. In this Psalm, David prays “let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (v 14). That is his prayer, that is his desire and it ought to be instructive for us.

The truth of this Psalm is that as the Sun gives life to all life on planet earth, so the Word of God gives life to every part of man. And as the Sun preserves life on planet earth, so the Word of God preserves the life of man. Thus we ought to desire to spew forth His glory, even as the Sun. We ought to desire that the redemptive work of God be so evident in our lives that “the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in His sight.” Is that your desire? Is that your prayer?

Picking up in v 7, David transitions from the imagery to instruction. The Sun pours forth speech, a declaration that the God who made the Sun is glorious indeed! So should we. But how? How can we shine forth the glory of God as the Sun? I’ll ask the question another way. How does God exert His life giving influence on us as humanity in the same way that the Sun exerts its life giving influence on the earth? The answer, His Word.

There are multiple terms here used to describe the Word of God, the “law of the LORD“, the “testimony of the LORD“, the “precepts of the LORD“, the “commandment of the LORD“, the “fear of the LORD“, the “rules of the LORD“. It is not necessary to parse each term, they are being used synonymously to point to His Word, His revelation, His truth.

In vs 7-8, each term for the Word of God is paired with an effect. The Word of God is the cause and it has an effect on the soul of man. These are the redeeming qualities of the Word. It, the Word of God “revives the soul“, “makes wise the simple“, “rejoices the heart“, “enlightens the eyes“. Its effect is incalculable to the soul. Since these are in parallel format within each poetic line, we have to view them as communicating the same thing within the line. That it revives the soul and makes wise the simple indicates the commendation of wisdom. The Word of God gives wisdom where there was none. Wisdom is one of the most treasured possessions of the soul. Life is gained by wisdom and death by folly. Blessing is gained by wisdom and judgment by folly. That God would commend wisdom to the “simple”, that He would give life to a soul in that way is a greater treasure than silver or gold. Moreover these truths “rejoice the heart and enlighten the eyes.” As the soul encounters numerous troubles, the Word of God is here pictured as that which brings joy. The eye is made dim by worry, burden, stress, the cares of this world. And yet the Word of God is that which – again – brings life to the soul! It enlightens the eye! Do you seek the Word of God for the wisdom that you need for life and in the face of life’s worries?

In v 9, the Word of God is further described as “is clean, enduring forever“, and as “true and righteous altogether“. The effects previously described are enduring in and of themselves and ever available. They will not perish. These redeeming qualities are enduring qualities. These redeeming qualities are true and righteous qualities. They will not fade, they will not tarnish, they cannot be marred or ruined by sin. They are, in the words of Peter as he looks forward to our eternal inheritance “imperishable, undefiled and will not fade away“. The Word of God is ever present and ever potent to redeem our weary souls!

Therefore David concludes, His Word, His truth ought to be our greatest pursuit! If we are to reflect the glory of God as the Sun does in His creation, if we are live for His glory then we should pursue the Word of God as that which gives and sustains a life that brings glory to God! “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.” We ought to pursue the Word more than all earthly, physical treasure. We ought to pursue the Word more than all earthly, physical pleasure (food, passions, etc.). Paul illustrates this kind of pursuit in Philippians 3.

Because by them “your servant is warned, in keeping them is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me…” As we seek the Word of God, as the redemptive qualities of the Word of God have their effect in our lives, as their warmth envelopes every aspect of our souls, we are “warned” concerning sin. Though we sometimes ignore the speed limit signs, if those speed limit signs were not present we would not know if we were in danger of “driving recklessly” and incurring the wrath of the authorities. Yes? Many scoff at the Word of God as restrictive and oppressive. Yet the LORD has given His Word in mercy as a warning to us. It warns us when we are getting to close to the fires of His judgment. If He did not love His creation, He could just let us persist in unrestricted disobedience. Yet He does provide His Word as a warning. This far and no farther. And we ignore at our own peril. Yet David envisions the Word of God here as that speed limit, that warning sign.

Moreover he says “keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me.” Let Your Word have its redemptive effect. In other words, he doesn’t merely want to be a hearer of the Word but also a doer. He wants the Word of God to so penetrate his heart, to have its warming, redeeming effect so that it “keeps him back” from presumptuous sins and prevents them from “having dominion” over him. Do you desire for that to be true of you? Do you struggle with any sin? Would you want to be warned/alerted to coming danger, to sin that is crouching at the door of your heart? Would you want to be able to gain victory over any sin that particularly tempts you and potentially lays hold of your soul? The answer is found in the Word of God. When David says “in keeping them there is great reward“, this is what he means. In the Word of God, the reward is its redeeming effect on your soul. And as you are changed by its effects, v 13b “then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression” the glory of God is able to shine forth through you!

As we come to a close on this Psalm, the question again is how? How does the glory of God shine forth through men? “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD my rock and my redeemer” (v 14). The glory of God shines forth through us, as we take up the mantle of “declaring the glory of God.” As we, like the Sun “pour forth speech” which brings glory to God. Our words reveal our hearts. Our heart is the innermost being, the core of who we are and that is most often revealed when we open our mouths. Some people are very careful with what they speak and how they speak. Some are particularly guarded while others let anything fly out that they think of. No matter what kind of person you are in that respect, sooner or later your heart will be revealed by your words. What will it say about you? What will it say about your God? All of the good works in the world will not erase poor and debased speech.

This gets to the heart (no pun intended) of another principle in this Psalm. That is the fact that God looks deeper than the external. If He is so inclined to care for the physical needs of His creation by means of a ball of gas burning millions/billions of miles away; certainly He would care for our spiritual, soul needs. He knows that we are more than the physical. He knows that our flaws run deep, soul deep. He, more than anyone else is acutely aware of the wickedness of the soul affected by sin. The wickedness that no one else knows about, the hidden thoughts that we keep to ourselves that would drive even our closest loved ones away. Those skeleton in the closet heart meditations that no one sees but us and God. He sees all, He knows all. David acknowledges this. And he so earnestly desires to have that part of him cleansed. And he knows that just as God has provided for our physical lives by the life giving warmth of the Sun, so He has provided for our spiritual lives by the life giving, redemptive warmth of His Word.

Thus, he prays. “let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” Do you pray thus? Do you seek the Word of God, for the treasure that it is, so that the redemptive effects of His Word would have its way on your heart?

Do you desire for the glory of God to shine forth through you? Then let this be your desire, let this be your prayer, that nothing in your soul would be hidden from the heat of His Word.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Phil. 4:8 ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
(1 Pet. 1:3-5 ESV)

2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation–3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Pet. 2:2-3 ESV)

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
(Ps. 1:1-6 ESV)

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (Phil. 3:8 ESV)

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Phil. 3:17-21 ESV)

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (Jas. 1:22-25 ESV)

2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. (Jas. 3:2-13 ESV)

Sola Scriptura

A friend and I were recently discussing the idea of what is “beautiful” as he heard someone else waxing eloquently on the “beauty” of certain literary works in the context of Christian ministry.  Al Mohler discussed the issue of what the secular considers “beautiful” on the Briefing a couple of days ago.  While there are certainly many different literary works that have much to offer to excite and stimulate the senses, all works of human origin pale in comparison to the inherent beauty of the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of God as found in His infallible, holy Word.

“The attentive study of the Scriptures has a sort of constraining power.  It fills the mind with the most splendid form of heavenly truth, which it teaches with purity, solidarity, certainty, and without the least mixture of error.  It soothes the mind with an inexpressible sweetness; it satisfies the sacred hunger and thirst for knowledge with flowing rivers of honey and butter; it penetrates into the innermost heart with irresistible influence; it imprints its own testimony so firmly upon the  mind, that the believing soul rests upon it with the same security, as if it had been carried up into the third heaven, and heard it from God’s own mouth; it touches all the affections, and breathes the sweetest fragrance of holiness upon the pious reader, even though he may not perhaps comprehend the full extent of his reading.”

– Charles Bridges

One Pastor’s Perspective on Race & The Church in Light of Recent Events

I have intentionally remained silent in recent days concerning the ongoing racial issues mainly because so many have commented already.  However at the prompting of my wife and because the consensus of comments tend to be largely unprofitable in my view, I will share my thoughts.  It is my conviction that it is the duty of the Church of Jesus Christ to preach the gospel as its primary response to (any) sin that is observed in society.  In America this is particularly important when it comes to race relations/tensions that we observe.  The whole church must be committed to collectively proclaiming the gospel as the God ordained solution to racial injustice/disunity.

Who am I?

If anyone is reading this who does not know me personally, I will start by stating that I am a black male.  That is obvious to those who see me but you obviously cannot see me while you read.  I thought about titling this post “one black pastor’s perspective” but I decided against it and you will see why shortly.  I state that I am black on the outset to give you a sense of my perspective of the issues abounding.  For those who do not know me, judging merely by appearance, there are some times when I leave out of my home and I fit the “profile”.  I sometimes wear hoodies and jeans – though they ALWAYS cover my bottom since my mother taught me the good sense that underwear are things that are to be worn “under” everything else and not exposed to the world.  I often have on a hat (baseball cap style) and sunglasses when appropriate.  I drive a somewhat older car, often with the windows down, and music loud-ish.  I also tend to be an introvert by nature and so tend to be quieter and more reserved.  I am also naturally introspective and observant.  This means that I tend to have – what may appear to be mean, stern or brooding look on my face that could be misinterpreted.  I am not the person to walk around with a smile on my face – even if I am happy – that may be a character flaw.  Now, I do not do these things in order to convey a particular persona, it is just what I am used to, it is just what I do.  Most people who see me probably assume all kinds of things about me.

Yet by looking at me, there are a number of things that you would not know.  I am a Pastor.  Words matter so I tend to use particular vocabulary whenever I communicate and as I have had a host of amazing teachers in my Bible College days who taught me the importance of enunciating in the context of public speaking, most of the time when I talk, I am intentional about dropping my lazy Baltimorian lingo.  I grew up around Baltimore and yet there are some places in Baltimore that I avoid, cause I know better.  I went to predominantly black elementary – high school and two mixed populous colleges.  I go to a multi-racial church and I hang out with other Christians, who all look very different.  I read my Bible and pray.  I married a white woman from my Bible College who loves the Lord with all of her heart and who loves and is devoted to me.  Moreover, we have a number of caramel colored children together whom I also love.  I do not care to be popular, I do not care to be known, and I want to live my life and to devote my family to magnifying the glory of Jesus Christ in all things.  To support my family I also have a job that requires me to wear a suit daily, which is part of the reason why I tend to dress down when I am not working.

Convictions leading to my conclusion

For this reason, because there is much about me that you would not know by simply looking and making a judgment, I am obligated to others to refrain from judging based on appearances.  This means that I cannot judge white police officers based on the actions of some.  I cannot judge all white people based on the actions of some.  To be clear I have at different points in my life experienced what I can only describe as blatant racism from people, discriminatory treatment and what appeared to me to be profiling by police officers.  Yet I cannot in good conscience judge all people (police officers or not) by the actions of some.  I cannot even judge other young black men based on the actions of some.  As I mentioned earlier there are some places that I would rather not go in my home town (even as there are some places that I would rather not go in the deep south or mid-west for that matter) but that doesn’t mean that I react to all young black men in hoodies as if they are going to rob me.  Conversely, not judging doesn’t mean putting myself in what I believe to be potentially dangerous situations – I will return to this thought later.

What I can do as a Christian is to discriminate between those who are Christian and those who are non-Christian.  Please do not take the liberty to make my last statement mean what you want it to; I am explaining what I mean now.  This does not mean that I discriminate against people based on particular sins that they do.  We all struggle with something.  Moreover, all sin is offensive to God on one level, thus none of us can claim superiority based on whether or not we sin in a particular area.  Before God, we all fall infinitely short of His perfect standard (Romans 3:23).  What I do mean is that I expect non-Christians to act like non-Christians and I expect Christians to act like Christians.  In this respect it does not matter what their skin looks like, where they were born, what sort of accent they have, what kind of clothes they wear, if they are a non-Christian I will treat them as such, if they are a Christian I will likewise treat them as such.

My conviction concerning how I treat others is grounded in the Word of God.  I am a Christian who has been spiritually born from above (John 3:3, 5) by the working of God through His Word, thus the Word of God and the example of Jesus the Son of God is my guide for life and that of my family.  Moreover, as a Pastor I hold the conviction that the Word of God is the tool that I have as a Shepherd of God’s people, to help to lead and guide them (2 Timothy 3:16).  A Pastor is a teacher, a leader, an encourager, a warner, one who rebukes and one who ought to exemplify fidelity to Jesus Christ.  The Word of God must guide me and I must use it to help to guide those who belong to Him.

The Word of God tells me that all men are sinners and will bear fruit according to their sinful nature (Matthew 12:33; Ephesians 2:1-3).  Thus, it should not surprise me when sinners sin against one another.  Moreover, it should not surprise me when sinners sin against me.  It may be hurtful, but I should not respond by becoming distraught and outraged.  The Word of God makes a distinction between those who are without the Spirit of God and bear sinful fruit (just as an apple tree bears apples) and a Christian who (ought to) bear the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:19-24).  I can expect Christians to bear the fruit of the Spirit.  If they have the Spirit, then they ought to bear His fruit.  The life of a Christian ought to be different because of the work of God in his/her life – not because they are inherently special or worthy in and of themselves.  God works particularly in the lives of those who confess Jesus as their Lord and to whom Jesus gives the Holy Spirit.  Thus, I can also hold Christians accountable for their sin and I can call them to turn away from their sin because their life is qualitatively different having the Holy Spirit dwelling within them (Colossians 3:12).  I can call them to love, to be humble, to be just because of the work of God in them.

I cannot have that same expectation for the non-Christian.  Those who do not have the Spirit of God, the non-Christian will act according to their nature.  And when their nature runs in conflict with my life I can ask them to change but I cannot expect any real change without the work of the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture commands that we take a position of humility and that we show compassion/consideration for all who are without the benefit of the Spirit of God in their lives (Titus 3:1-7).  We are not to be critical or judgmental concerning the sin of others knowing that it is only the grace of God at work in us that makes a difference in our lives.  We are not to react with disgust, shock or disdain towards those who sin – again because the Christian does not help himself, it is God who is his help.  The principle of sin – abiding in all of those who are outside of Christ – is deceptive and powerful.  Those with the Spirit of God find it difficult to strive against sin; certainly, those without the Spirit will have great difficulty.  This alone demands my response of humility, patience, gentleness and an earnestness for those apart from Christ to know the freedom that comes from Him alone.  This is the response of the redeemed.  Further disunity, hatred, frustration, despair, etc., is not the proper response of one who has been affected by the grace of God.

Another conviction concerning how I treat others is with respect to the role of the government.  I also believe that the government bears the sword in order to keep order in society, to hold evil at bay and that this has been granted to them by God (Romans 13:1-7).  Yet the government largely consists of sinners.  Thus while they have a mandate from God to uphold order in society I cannot expect them to uphold the standard with equity.  It is beyond the scope of their ability as they are sinners themselves.  Thus, I am not surprised at injustice, even when the injustice comes from the hand of the government.  Scripture also commands that we give honor to those to whom honor is due which includes governing authorities.  Therefore, I am to honor and obey those governing authorities, even those who are unjust, so long as those governing authorities are not compelling me to dishonor or disobey God.

While on the subject of the government it would also be helpful to point out that the media is another very important presence in our world today.  It has not been given a particular mandate by God, it draws its mandate from the people.  People crave information in our day.  And it really doesn’t matter where the information comes from, how valid it is, how accurate it is, they really just crave information for its own sake.  We want to be informed because we think that information in and of itself makes us more intelligent.  Having information is not necessarily a bad thing so long as we are not so thirsty for information that we mindlessly accept whatever we are given.  And wisdom requires information but wisdom gives us the tools necessary to properly handle the information.  Wisdom itself is a gift from God and not one that a sinner naturally has (Proverbs 1:7; James 3:13-18).  Now, the media consisting of sinners and having its mandate to operate from sinners will inevitably report news in a sinful way.  They will also bear fruit in keeping with their nature.  I do not/should not expect for the media to report news/information with equity nor even validity.  I should expect for them to want to be the first to get the news out, no matter how unimportant, no matter how unprofitable it may be.  I do not expect for them to know what I would deem as important.  I expect for them to be flawed and to make mistakes.  Thus wisdom would suggest that it is important to me to delay judgment when the media reports some kind of “news” until more facts are exposed.  And most of the time there are simply not enough facts given to make a proper judgment on the various issues reported.

One further conviction is necessary to mention at this point.  The Church, the true Church – as distinguished from a building or the mass of people who simply attend a church building on Sunday mornings – the true Church of Jesus Christ is made up of people who as cited above have had their internal nature changed by the Spirit of the True God working in them by faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10).  This group of people is the True Church and this group of people consists of people from all ages past who have ever been given a new life/nature by God through Jesus Christ.  This group consists of people from many different ethnicities, of many different cultures and with many different languages and tones of skin (Revelation 5:9-10).  This group does not consist only of black or white, it cannot because it spans both time and the globe, being much greater than 21^st Century America.  Thus when I speak of the Church, I can either speak of this group of people from all time and around the globe who have put their faith in Jesus Christ or I can speak more restrictively of people in my own local assembly (which is a microcosm of the whole).  Any church – unless due to geographical necessity (some places in the world only have one people group represented in a particular area) – ought to represent in some way the diverse unity of the True Universal Church of Jesus Christ.  The fact that there are many local churches in 21^st Century America that do not is largely not due to the fact that there is only one people group represented in a given area but rather due to the fact that those local churches have failed to grasp the – diverse & unified – reality of the nature of the True Church.  That is more of a reflection on those local churches than it is on our Lord and the True Church.  The norm should not be “black churches” or “white churches” and other such arbitrary distinctions as “the black church” or “the white church” or the “Hispanic church” etc.  Scripture makes no such distinctions.  The church is the church.  Even in a particular geographic location, the church often consisted of people of varying ethnicities.  And often the “one another” commands were given not because everyone was the same but because everyone was different and there was a great need to encourage those who were different to love and care for one another.  It is biblically more important for the church to emphasize its unity in Christ – regardless of ethnic distinctions.  And the emphasis of ethnic distinctions tended to create more confusion than anything.

Specific comments concerning recent events

There are probably more things that could/should be said by way of laying foundational convictions for my thoughts to come but I will move on from here to make some specific comments on current events and my perspective as a Pastor for those who have ears to hear.

1. Concerning recent police shootings – these are tragedies on many levels. The lives of those who were shot, their families & friends as well as the ones who pulled the trigger are forever changed (certainly to differing degrees).  My Lord commands that I weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).  Those weeping during such times as these include all of those mentioned above, regardless of how we may feel about them, their lives will never be the same.  The church ought to weep both for the victims as well as the alleged perpetrators.  The church ought to lament the loss of life as well as the sin that prompted it.  It is not wrong for anyone to feel a certain way about injustice and particularly injustice to a certain group more than others.  And yet if we are showing genuine compassion, then it should be for all involved.

2. Concerning injustice in general – Justice with equity is something that I expect from God (Deuteronomy 32:4). It is beyond the ability of any human or human institution to provide justice with equity.  In fact, we probably wouldn’t want for any human or human institution to be able to wield justice with equity because if we are honest there are things that we have all done that should have resulted in some consequence but did not at that time.  If we are honest with ourselves and concerning our own sin, we would recognize that we also ought to be judged and condemned.  Usually we are more content to classify everyone else in a worse category than ourselves, we class and compare ourselves by ourselves and justify ourselves in our own minds.  How many of us have stolen and not gotten caught?  How many of us have broken the speed limit and not gotten a ticket?  That is not justice with equity.  The thing that we cry out for, we should fear.  And if we do not now fear, we will.  Because there is One coming who will render justice with equity (Psalm 96:10-13).  Each man will be repaid according to his deeds (Revelation 20:12).  This will not happen by the hands of humans nor human institutions but rather by God Himself when He sends His Son to judge on that day.  He will judge the secrets of mens hearts (Romans 2:16; Revelation 2:23).  He knows the day that you stole and were not caught.  He knows the day that you broke the speed limit but did not receive a ticket.  But much more, He knows the day that you lusted in your heart and committed adultery.  He knows the day that you hated someone in your heart and committed murder.  His judgment is righteous, true and equitable.  As believers we ought to seek that day, we ought to have that day as our hope, and not to hope in any human or human institution to do for us what only God can.  We should pursue justice.  But if we do, we must be diligent to pursue justice equally, which often movements like “black lives matter” do not.  I am not the first to point this out, but where is the “black lives matter movement” and its outrage when black men kill other black men, day after day – in my home town of Baltimore?  Where are the marches?  Where are the twitter posts?  Where are the silent protestors or the rioters who set out to destroy property in their neighborhoods because they are tired of their brothers being killed by one another?  Where is the deep emotional distress at the statistics of how many of our own people we have killed?  We are so busy pointing the finger to the government, to police, when was the last time popular Pastors in urban areas called communities to account for black on black bloodshed?  Often – not always – those who are so outspoken are outspoken for the sake of speaking with no real ability nor intention on affecting change.  Their only impulse being to point out the wrongdoings of others and to declare that the system “is broken.”  To which I would respond “tell us all something that we don’t know.”  If all you do is point out wrong, you have accomplished nothing.  Now, this does not excuse what has happened or any injustice at the hand of our governing authorities.  However, we must be honest that we are not seeking justice with equity (the thing that we claim we want) unless we pursue it with the same vehemence when lives of blacks are taken by blacks.

3. Concerning the impact of these events on my life. Should I change my behavior when going out and about?  Should I change my dress code?  Is there a particular way that I should respond when confronted by police officers fearing that I will be profiled and wrongly accosted?  The answer to these things are going to be different for different people.  The answer is probably yes for some and no for others.  Some black males should change their behavior, attitude and outlook on life, particularly when interacting with governing authorities.  Some should definitely rethink their wardrobe choices.  I don’t plan to change anything concerning how I dress or act in public.  I don’t assume that all police or even most police are corrupt.  I know that some (whether they be police officers or other men) are sinners.  And as they are sinners, I have to expect for them to sin and for that sin eventually to impact my life.  Concerning police officers (some of whom are sinners), I will continue to give honor to them as a governing authority to whom God has granted authority.  And I will obey them to the degree that are not commanding me to dishonor God.  I mentioned not putting myself in potentially dangerous situations earlier.  I will not provoke anyone nor put myself in harm’s way (whether that be in the way that I interact with a police officer or any other person who is a sinner and possibly posing a threat to me).  If I am shot by a police officer in what appears to be racial profiling or for some other ulterior motive, please do not protest.  Do not march, riot or tweet.    Pray for my family, pray for the shooter and their family.  And someone please take the time to ensure that the person has the opportunity to hear the gospel.

4. Concerning social pleas for unity. Our sitting President has wrongly assumed that we are not as divided as it seems.  Apart from the gospel the world is inherently divided, having no sound, eternal common foundation upon which to stand.  Our former President has proclaimed his confidence that America can pull together around American ideals.  American ideals are ideal but aside from the fact that we do not all share the same ideals, these ideals are not able in to effect unity in the heart.  The effect of sin makes that impossible.  For the church to join itself with any movement that suggests that political or social activism apart from the gospel is able to effect change is foolish as well as dishonoring to the power of the gospel in the lives of men.  We must be convinced of that.  While it is not wrong to feel a certain way about injustice to blacks, black Christians cannot/should not align themselves more with ethnic blacks than they do with other Christians.  If the Church were not so divided on Sunday morning still, this would not be a problem.  But because it is, because there is a visible “black church” that is by its nature set in opposition to any other ethnic church, the division is enabled to continue.  This is not a commentary on wrong by blacks or whites, but it is a commentary on a failure of the American church as a whole to “be diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).  One further note, since we do live in America, pursuing unity between churches will be difficult. The divide can be more than racial.  It can be theological, philosophical, traditional or some mixture of those.  We are at the point in our development as a nation where the church has enjoyed the luxury of much tranquility such that we are able to quibble about many things that will not matter in the final analysis though that time of tranquility may be waning.  While theological unity is not always possible preserving organic unity (unity which emphasizes the organic solidarity of all who profess faith in Christ without respect to ethnicity) must always be a priority.

5. Concerning the Church’s response in times of racially charged crises:

The church should respond with the wisdom of delayed response. Before jumping to conclusions about shootings or other events that happen, try to gather all of the facts.  The media is interested in attention.  And attention through providing the most information in the quickest way possible.  And usually that information is disseminated in such a way to stoke the most controversy so that you are inclined to look to them first as a trusted source of the latest news.  They are not interested in the truth.  That doesn’t mean that they don’t report true events.  That just means that the end goal is not a presentation of the truth but rather a presentation of the event from whatever vantage point gains the greatest response from their audience.  In other words, don’t jump to conclusions when news first breaks.  Wait and do further investigation if you are genuinely concerned about the issue.  It is foolish to vote along party lines simply because your people tend to vote that way without thinking through the issues and what each candidate stands for.  It is equally foolish to jump to conclusions about a given event that you were not personally apart of without doing your own diligent investigation to garner as many of the facts as possible before drawing a conclusion.  No one likes for others to jump to conclusions about them but we are quick to jump to conclusions about so many whom we’ve never met without even lifting a finger to examine the facts ourselves.  The church must exercise wisdom and lead by example in this.

The church must continue to emphasize its unity. The church is God’s answer to ethnic disunity/conflict.  The church is the evidence of God’s care and concern for the nations, all nations, all ethnicities.  The church is commanded to pursue unity.  The church has unity inherent with its “one faith, one Lord, one baptism, one Father” and we are to be diligent in preserving that unity (Ephesians 4:4-6). One very simple way that we can diligently preserve unity is by breaking down the barriers that have long existed within the church in America, largely broken down lines of blacks and whites.  Certainly there are other ethnicities but as they have been added to the number of Americans and as their numbers have increased they have often followed suit with the rest of the American church so that we have not only “the black church”, “the white church”, but we also have the “Hispanic church”, “the Asian American church” etc.  And this should not be so.  These distinctions – often within a few blocks of each other – facilitate disunity.  Certainly there are times when some of these churches will fellowship together but these times are far and few in between.  We must abolish these distinctions when possible (I say “when possible” acknowledging that there are some places in America that are dominated by one particular people group and that it is simply not easy for them to mix).  However again that is not always the case.  Often there is a deliberate choice made to socialize only with people who look like you.  But that is not the true nature of the church.  While ethnic distinctions are not obliterated in the church, they are to take the back seat.  Our unity in Christ is to be the primary thing that we diligently pursue.  If you are a Christian and attend a church dominated by one particular ethnic group when geography/proximity to other ethnicities is not a legitimate issue – realize that you are a part of the problem.  That may sound harsh but it is the reality.  This doesn’t mean that mixed race churches are perfect but it does mean that they are ideal as they more adequately picture the multi ethnic nature of the Church.

 I mentioned that I was going to title this “one black Pastor’s perspective” but I refrained.  This is why.  It is not helpful, particularly in this day to draw such distinctions.  God has not called me to be a “black Pastor”.  I am a black man.  But He called me to serve His church as a Pastor.  That I am black is secondary to that primary call.  Paul did not refer to himself as a Jewish Apostle to the Gentiles.  He was a Preacher and Apostle and a Teacher to the Gentiles (I Timothy 2:7).  That he was Jewish was secondary to his calling and he never allowed that to get in the way of his effectiveness in building the church through the proclamation of the gospel as well as through his subsequent teaching.  I am a Pastor.  My perspective on these issues cannot be divorced from my ethnic identity but I will certainly not allow my ethnic identity to color (no pun intended) my Biblical convictions and commitments on these issues.  If you would receive any Pastor’s perspective as important – insofar as it accurately reflects the truth of God’s Word/Will, receive mine in the same.  I have tried to reference Scripture in much of what I have said.  Study for yourself to determine if these things are true.

The church must be convinced and must proclaim that the gospel is always the answer. The gospel is about reconciliation.  It is first about reconciliation between men and God.  Sin creates an eternal separation between God and us (Isaiah 59:2).  It creates enmity (Romans 5:10).  God will not suffer those who trample on His name, His law, His gifts and replace the reality of His holiness with something infinitely less.  Our sin and sinful pursuit of a god in our image is offensive to Him.  Thus His disposition towards us is condemnation.  He will send men to an eternal torment in Hell precisely because of His disposition towards those who hate Him Isaiah 66:15-16, 24).

We need to be reconciled. And yet even all of our good deeds are as filthy garments to Him who is infinitely Holy.  So He had to act.  His one act of pursuing reconciliation permeates the pages of sacred scripture, even throughout the ages of the history of humanity.  And it culminates in the person of Jesus Christ.  A Jewish man born from one tribe of people who were chosen by God and set apart so that He might bring blessing to every tribe, tongue and nation (ethnicity) on all the face of the earth (Revelation 5:9-10).  Through His Son the man Jesus Christ, God has brought reconciliation between He and men (I Timothy 2:5).  For in Jesus Christ, God has put an end to the enmity that exists because of sin (Ephesians 2:16).  Jesus is the sacrifice for our sin, as He had no sin of His own to speak for (I Peter 3:18).  His death on the cross satisfies God’s anger concerning sin.  And Jesus was raised to life again on the third day to declare in no uncertain terms that His life was worthy of such a sacrifice and that the sacrifice was accepted (Romans 4:25).

All who flee to Jesus as Noah and his family fled into the Ark to escape the judgment of God, find refuge and safety from the coming day when God will equitably and justly render to each man according to his deeds.  The gospel is first about reconciliation of men to God.  And as men are collectively reconciled to God through the gospel they are also reconciled to one another (Ephesians 2:19-22).  They are collectively given access to God in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:18).  They are collectively accepted by God in Jesus Christ.  They are collectively changed in their hearts, given a new nature in Jesus Christ.  They are made into one group, one family, one body of believers in Jesus Christ, in which there is no legitimate distinction between Jew and Gentile, black or white.  To them, Jesus Christ is all and in all.

Thus any hope for humanity to have peace, any hope for any society to come together to be truly unified will only be fulfilled in the church.  It will not happen by social or political discussion/activism/protest.  Unity and peace will not happen by rule of law.  It will not happen; no matter how much blood is shed in the name of another who is not a god.  It will only happen as God, the LORD, through faith in Jesus Christ changes the hearts of men to first love Him and then to love one another.  This is the message that we need to proclaim.  Black lives, white lives, blue lives, the lives of sinners and the lives of the redeemed do matter.  They are all equally important to God and they will all be equally condemned or redeemed depending on whether or not they bow the knee in faith to Jesus Christ.

The church must preach the gospel (Romans 1:16).  It is not the Church’s duty to reform society or to effect social change.  That is not our mission.  Making disciples by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ is the final and great mission of the church.

 If you are a believer, a member of Christ’s church and you observe events that take place in the world (injustices, tragedies, etc.) and you want to comment but are unable to respond in accord with the mission of the church – by bringing the gospel to bear on the situation – do us all a favor and keep silent.